Three or more nights before recitation, make a fast
pass through all problems. Plan to spend 1-1.5 hours on this pass.
With roughly 10-12 problems, this gives you around 6-8 minutes per
problem. Spend no more than this much time per problem and
if you can solve them in this much time fine, otherwise move on to the
next. Try to do this the last thing before bed at night and then
go to sleep.

Pass 2

After at least one night's sleep, make a medium
speed pass through all problems. Plan to spend 1-1.5 hours on this
pass as well. Some of the problems will already be solved from the
first pass or nearly so. Quickly review their solution and then
move on to concentrate on the still unsolved problems. If you solved
1/4 to 1/3 of the problems in the first pass, you should be able to
spend 10 minutes or so per problem in the second pass. Again, do this
right before bed if possible and then go immediately to sleep.

Pass 3

After at least one night's sleep, make a final pass
through all the problems. Begin as before by quickly reviewing all the
problems you solved in the previous two passes. Then spend fifteen
minutes or more (as needed) to solve the remaining unsolved problems.
Leave any ``impossible'' problems for recitation - there should be no
more than three from any given assignment, as a general rule. Go
immediately to bed.

This is an extremely powerful prescription for deeply learning
nearly anything. Here is the motivation. Memory is formed by
repetition, and this obviously contains a lot of that. Permanent (long
term) memory is actually formed in your sleep, and studies have shown
that whatever you study right before sleep is most likely to be
retained. Physics is actually a ``whole brain'' subject - it requires
a synthesis of both right brain visualization and conceptualization and
left brain verbal/analytical processing - both geometry and algebra, if
you like, and you'll often find that problems that stumped you the night
before just solve themselves ``like magic'' on the second or third pass
if you work hard on them for a short, intense, session and then sleep on
it. This is your right (nonverbal) brain participating as it develops
intuition to guide your left brain algebraic engine.

Other suggestions to improve learning include working in a study group
for that third pass (the first one or two are best done alone to
``prepare'' for the third pass). Teaching is one of the best ways to
learn, and by working in a group you'll have opportunities to both teach
and learn more deeply than you would otherwise as you have to articulate
your solutions.

Make the learning fun - the right brain is the key to
forming long term memory and it is the seat of your emotions. If
you are happy studying and make it a positive experience, you will
increase retention, it is that simple. Order pizza, play music, make it
a ``physics homework party night''.

Use your whole brain on the problems - draw lots of pictures and
figures (right brain) to go with the algebra (left brain). Listen to
quiet music (right brain) while thinking through the sequences of events
in the problem (left brain). Build little "demos" of problems where
possible - even using your hands in this way helps strengthen memory.

Avoid ``memorization''. You will learn physics far better if you
learn to solve problems and understand the concepts rather
than attempt to memorize the umpty-zillion formulas, factoids, and
specific problems or examples covered at one time or another in the
class.

Be sure to review the problems one last time when you get your graded
homework back. Learn from your mistakes or you will, as they say, be
doomed to repeat them.

If you follow this prescription, you will have seen every assigned
homework problem a minimum of five or six times - three original
passes, recitation itself, a final write up pass after recitation, and a
review pass when you get it back. At least three of these should occur
after you have solved all of the problems correctly, since
recitation is devoted to ensuring this. When the time comes to study
for exams, it should really be (for once) a review process, not a
cram. Every problem will be like an old friend, and a very brief review
will form a seventh pass or eighth pass through the assigned
homework.

With this methodology (enhanced as required by the physics resource
rooms, tutors, and help from your instructors) there is no reason for
you do poorly in the course and every reason to expect that you will do
well, perhaps very well indeed! And you'll still be spending only the
3-6 hours/week on homework that is expected of you in any course of this
level of difficulty!